BENSON STREET was named
after John J. Benson, who was an
agent of the Camden & Amboy Railroad and had much to do with the
filling up of the Stevens’ lands. His activities were recognized, when
land was plotted into building lots, in the naming of a street in his
honor.

Do
you have a Benson Street memory or picture. Let me know by e-mail so it
can be included here.

Like other Italian
emigrants in South Camden, my grandmother worked in Campbell Soup cutting
up chicken parts for soup. Despite the changes on Benson Street over the
years, she refused to move and by the time she died in 1962, was the only
person who spoke Italian and she spoke no English. In her later years she
would sit on the steps with the neighbor African American women who spoke
no English taking turns telling of the day. My grand- mother in Italian
and the neighbor women in English. Don't think that either understood
exactly what the other was saying...but they smiled and nodded at each
others stories.
Benedict Tisa, April 2005

"My
grandmother was known for having some of the best tomato plants on
Benson Street. She was also an excellent seamstress and her son
Michael grew up to own Esquire Tailors on Westfield Avenue."- Loretta Petrillo, September 2006

216
Benson Street

The
Petrillo brothers of 216 Benson
Street,Camden, NJ. Tony kneeling, Gus with
curls, Frank in back and Jimmie Petrillo standing. Photograph was taken
about 1930.

216
Benson Street

Anthony & Lorenzina Petrillo
with their son
James and his bride Angeline

Charles
Pinto, 28, of 230 Benson
Street, who is wanted as a material witness against Garfield Del
Duca, former proprietor of the Ringside Inn, was still at large last
night.

Pinto
fled from Criminal Court Thursday while county Detective Fiore
Troncone was on his way to the
office of Justice of the Peace William F. Laird after Assistant
Prosecutor Rocco
Palese had ordered his arrest.

Palese
alleges Pinto suddenly failed, to remember he had confessed that Del
Duca was one of his companions when four automobiles, were stolen 10
years ago. Palese said somebody had talked to Pinto before he went on
the witness stand.

Around
1970 the entire 200 block of Benson Street, along with several other
adjacent streets, was razed to make way for the Royal Court Townhomes.
Within this site, there is a 200 block of Benson Court.

Anthony Scott, 17, of
326 Benson Street, was sent to
Rahway Reformatory; Charles Joslin, 19, of 1606 Pierce street, was fined $100, and Dominick Croge, 18, of 2311
Carman Street, was sent to the county jail for four months.

Police said two of the youths broke into the chain store about
three weeks ago and stole 50 cartons of cigarettes and other merchandise.
Joslin, it was testified, did not break into the store, but had used his automobile to cart away the stolen
goods, at the request of the other two youths.

Three
youths were sent to the detention home yesterday by Police Judge Pancoast to
await action of juvenile court. Two of the boys were charged with
attempted breaking and entering, and the third was held as
incorrigible.

Henry
Garbecki, 14, of 1201 Lansdowne
Avenue, and Edward Bedanski, 13, of 1265 Whitman
Avenue, entered pleas of guilty to trying to break into the Camden
Storage Battery Company, 1459 Kaighn
Avenue, last night. They were arrested by Patrolman George Schuyler,
who testified he saw the boys trying to open the front door with
passkeys. The complaint was signed by Elmer T. Woods, 901 Eldridge
Avenue, West Collingswood, owner.

Samuel
Rizzo, 13, of 329 Benson
Street, was in police court for the second time in two weeks. His
father, John, told Judge Pancoast
the
youth refused to attend school and was incorrigible. After being taken
into court two weeks ago, the boy attended school two days, the father
testified.

My
parents migrated from Sicily in 1924. We were a family of 11 children
myself being the last child. 6 boys and 5 girls. Times were tough, but
there was some good times.

I
was born at 318 Benson Street in 1939. Later moved to 330
Benson Street where I remember growing up.

On
your site you list Michael Tocco listed at 1947, his first name is spelled
Michele. He purchased that house around 1940. We lived there until
1950. Our family had many memories there.

Now
there aren't any homes on that street, just fond memories.

Thanks
for having that site available. It took me to many places in Camden
that I remember.

Anna
Tocco McNally
October 2010

330
Benson Street

1948 Jim & Elda Bessing

I
lived on 330 Benson when I first was married on the third floor
apartments. Talk about memories can you imagine what it would be like to
haul a 50 pound block of ice up three stories to put in an ice
box? Ahh, these modern conveniences.

Dressmaking Contest Winners
Start N.Y. Excursion Today3 Camden Schoolgirls First in Doll Dressing Competition,
Will Spend Two Joyous Days in Metropolis With Chaperone

Three Camden schoolgirls who won first awards in Camden's first annual
Dressmaking and Doll Dressing Contest, jointly sponsored by the Camden Recreation Commission, the Courier-Post Newspapers and the
Camden City Parent-Teacher Association, will leave at 9:30 a. m. today on a two-day New York trip.

An outline of arrangements for the trip was made by
Mrs. Rocco Palese,
chairman of the general committee of the Recreation Commission and Camden city Parent-Teacher Association chairman. She has been
assisted by other members of the commission, Frank H. Ryan, managing editor of the Courier-Post newspapers; the Camden City P. T. A., and
the services of the National Youth Administration.

332
and 334 Benson Street were condemed. These were the lots next to
our house at 330. My father Michele Tocco owned them also.
At 334 Benson Street they put a two car garage there as you can see on
the other pictures that I sent to you. My father later transformed
that garage into a little bungalow with a Living Room, Kitchen, Bedroom
and Bathroom. I was about 9 or 10 when he transformed the garage.
So that would make it around 1948 or 1949.

The
Second Presbyterian Church was started in a chapel erected at 4th and
Benson Streets with money contributed largely by members of the First
Church. The church was formally organized by the Presbytery on March 1,
1860, and the main church dedicated September 2, 1866. The congregation
combined with the First Church on March 25, 1923.

The
property of the Second Presbyterian Church, at Fourth and Benson Streets,
was purchased November 2, 1923 by the Board of Education, to be used as an
annex to the Central
School.

Photo
By Paris L Gray, Courier-PostBlaze: Camden
firefighters battle a six-alarm fire at the Bible Church of God in the
400 block of Benson Street

Click
on Image to Enlarge

Christmas
turns bleak for pastor, congregationSpace heater suspected in fire at city church

By
ANDREW HALL and LEROY WILLIAMS

CAMDEN
- A six-alarm fire roared through a church Wednesday afternoon, gutting
the building four days before Christmas.

Three
people inside an apartment at­tached to the Bible Church of God in the
400 block of Benson Street escaped safely, authorities said.

No
one was injured in the fire, but a bystander a block away was injured
when he apparently was hit by power spray from a fire hose that suddenly
sprang a leak.

The
unidentified man was taken to Cooper Hospital-University Medical Center,
Camden. He was being evaluated Wednes­day night, a hospital spokeswoman
said.

According
to initial reports, the fire began in the second floor of the pastor's
apart­ment, which is attached to the rear of the church, said city Fire
Chief Kenneth Penn.

"A
young girl on the second floor with a space heater, possibly a kerosene
heater, heard a popping sound. That's what started the fire," Penn
said. The city's fire marshal's office is conducting an investigation to
confirm the space heater started the fire, he added.

One
of the nine family members living in the pastor's apartment said he saw
an explosion.

"I
saw a ball of flames in the middle room," said Michael Almore, 18.

"I
got everybody all there and we called the fire department."

Thick,
gray smoke towered above the church and billowed through the center of
the roof.

415
Benson Street

1970s-1994 Bible Church of God

Camden Courier-Post
December 22, 1994

Fire Department
Camden, New Jersey
125th Anniversary 1869-1994

For
1994 the Camden Fire Department would incur 21 Greater Alarms. Among 17
Second and Third Alarms, the principal incident of the year involved a
sixth alarm for a church near Fourth and Benson Streets, South Camden on
December 21st. The fire started in an attached parish building, and
spread rapidly to the main auditorium, through void spaced in adjoining
walls and roof area. During the first few minutes of operations, Rescue
Company 1 endeavored to hold the fire in the adjoining building as
conditions rapidly deteriorated. Heavy smoke pushing the entire length
of the roofline of the 75 by 200 foot church prompted the Battalion to
abandon interior operations and evacuate all units. Fire roared through
the cockloft and engulfed the church as Greater Alarms were transmitted
and surrounding exposures were covered. The one-hundred year old edifice
was destroyed.

A
six-alarm fire destroyed a Camden church on Wednesday and sent huge
clouds of black smoke spiraling for several blocks.

No
one was injured in the fire, which took about an hour to control.

The
blaze broke out shortly after 3 p.m. at the Bible Church of God and an
adjoining parsonage at 4th and Benson streets. Officials say it began in
an upstairs bedroom where a space heater was being used.

Flames
shot from the red-brick church and thick black smoke could be seen
several blocks away. Firefighters doused water on the church and nearby
homes to keep flames from spreading.

415
Benson Street

1970s-1994 Bible Church of God

Camden Courier-Post
December 22, 1994

Helpless: Lena
Banks and granddaughter Latasha Cottle watch in tears as the
Banks home in Camden burns

4TH
WARD DEMOCRATS START ANNUAL OUTINGS

Sun-burned
faces, are the rule rather than the exception among members of the
Auxiliary of the Fourth Ward Democratic Club received on their first,
annual outing at Atlantic City.

The trip was made in a gaily
decorated truck, from the club headquarters at 416 Benson
Street. Surf bathing and crabbing featured the day's program. Plans
are being considered for a similar trip next year.

Franklin Pierce
Alloway and his wife, the former Sarah Lavinia Griffee resided at 645 Willard Street when their first child, my mother, was born on November 24, 1919. Her name was Sarah Lavinia
Alloway. They resided at 815 Market
Street when their second child, Eleanor
Jennie Alloway, was born on December 10, 1921. They lived at 718 Federal Street when their third child,
Florence Mae was born on February 23, 1923. They next resided at 513
South 6th Street when their fourth child, Franklin Charles "Bud" Alloway
was born on November 7, 1924. They lived at 608 Carmen Street when their fifth child,
William Robert Alloway was born, December 31, 1926. The family had moved
to 436 Benson
Street, when their sixth child, Anna Louse Alloway came on
August 5, 1928. When the seventh and last child, Mary Elizabeth was born
on August 30, 1930, the family was living at 422 Main
Street. The reason given for the continual moving was because of the increase in the family size requiring larger accommodations.

Jim
Powell
February 2013

436
Benson Street

1947 William Bell

The Scouts Get Assistance

To the Editor:
Sir—My recent letter in the Mail Bag asking for aid in leadership for Troop 9, Boy Scouts of America,
met with wonderful response. Four men who have had years of experience in scouting are now
helping me in the leadership of Troop 9. Thanks to these men. I hope to rebuild the troop into one of
the best in the county.

My
Grandfather Raphaelo (Ralph Sr.) owned the A&P at 5th and Benson
Street. His wife was Anna. They had 4 children, Ralph Carmen, Helen,
Elizabeth and Rita. They all lived above the store. Ralph Sr. also owned
a string of stores across the street on 5th Street. and a bar around the
corner on Benson. Ralph Jr. married Rose D'Aloise who lived across
the street at 450 Benson, next to the Quick's, who were electricians.
Rose had 3 sisters, Mary, Anna and Adeline. Mary married Dominic Cerulli
who lived in the neighborhood. I Lived at 452 Benson when I was very
young before my dad moved the family to Pennsauken. Helen LoVuolo
married Denny DiRenzo who owned the grocery store on Royden
Street.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p. m. tomorrow at a funeral establishment at 453 South Sixth street, for Mrs. Estella Ida Clark, 50, of 509 Benson street, who died Saturday. Burial will be in
Lakeview Memorial Park. Mrs. Clark, who is survived by her husband, Charles E., was a member of First M. E. Church and the Women's First Ward Republican Club.

CLARK—On February 12, 1938. Estella Ida, beloved wife of Charles E. Clark (nee
Megowen), of 509 Benson St.. are 50 years. Relatives and friends of the family, also members of First M. E. Church and Women's Fourth Ward Republican Club are invited to attend the funeral services on Wednesday afternoon, at 2 o'clock at the funeral home of Melvin Cain, 453
S. 6th St., Camden, N. J. Interment at Lakeview Memorial Park.
Friends may call Tuesday evening, after 7 o'clock.

William
Griffee, Charcoal Dealer, and his wife, Mary "Louise" Chew
Griffee resided at 523 Benson
Street June 1880. From 1899 until January 1903 they
resided at 234 Chestnut
Street, but returned to 523 Benson Street where they lived
until they both passed away with one of their children; Thomas,
policeman, and Mabel Mack. He passed away in 1914, and she
Jan 2, 1925. She is listed in the city directories for all those
years as a dealer in "notions, and such" (as she was related
to the owner of Chew's Department Store).
Jim Powell, March 2103

My
grandmother, Fannie Schneidman Rosengarten passed away on December 2,
1974 in Camden NJ. She left Russia at age 16 with one of her brothers, arriving in Philadelphia in the spring of 1906. She worked as a shirt waist maker saving her salary to help bring the rest of her family here in 1910. She married my grandfather in 1911. She came from humble roots but was a lady of impeccable class.